In Minecraft, you can customize the color of your armor to make your character look unique. The process of checking and changing your armor color is actually quite simple once you understand how the color mechanics work in Minecraft.
The Basics of Armor Colors
All types of armor in Minecraft, whether leather, iron, gold, diamond or netherite, have the capability to be dyed or colored. However, the way you check and change the color depends on the material of the armor:
- Leather armor can be dyed any color in a crafting table using dyes.
- Iron, gold, diamond and netherite armor get their colors based on banner patterns applied to them using an anvil.
So checking and changing color for leather is different than for other armor types. However, in both cases dyes or banner patterns are used to apply the colors.
Checking Leather Armor Color
For leather armor, you can easily check the current color by equipping the armor on your character and looking at it. However, to see the exact dye color used, you will need to access the armor’s info in an inventory screen:
- Open your inventory and locate the leather armor.
- Hover over the armor piece with your mouse pointer.
- The tooltip that appears will show the exact dye color used to craft that piece of armor.
This works because leather armor retains the original dye color used to craft it, rather than just applying a texture. So by checking the tooltip, you can see the exact color.
Changing Leather Armor Color
To change the color of leather armor, you will need to combine it with a dye in a crafting table. This will create a new piece of armor with the new dye color applied. Follow these steps:
- Place the leather armor in a crafting grid.
- Add 1-8 dyes of the color you want around the outer squares.
- This will output a new piece of leather armor with the dye color applied.
You can mix dyes to get custom colors. Just remember that more dye means a darker shade. To remove color, combine with a dye remover.
Checking Other Armor Colors
For iron, gold, diamond and netherite armor, colors come from banner patterns rather than dyes. So to check the color, you will need to look at the armor’s info in an anvil:
- Place the armor in an anvil.
- The banner pattern name will appear on the right side.
- This shows the current color/pattern applied to the armor.
Without a banner pattern applied, the default color will be the normal texture for that armor type.
Changing Other Armor Colors
You can change the color of these armor types by combining them with a banner in an anvil:
- Design a banner with the color pattern you want.
- Place the banner and armor together in an anvil.
- The armor will take on the banner pattern’s color scheme.
This will overwrite any previous pattern. You can remove a pattern by combining with a plain banner.
Armor Color Combinations
A cool thing about armor dyes and patterns is that you can mix and match colors across different armor pieces. You aren’t limited to just one color scheme. Be creative with combining colors across item slots!
For example, you could make leather boots pink, iron leggings blue, a gold chestplate red, and a diamond helmet green. The combinations are endless!
Using an Anvil to Apply Colors
When using an anvil to apply either banner patterns or dyes to armor, each application will increase the prior work penalty. This makes subsequent applications more expensive.
To avoid increasing costs, you can combine items on a crafting table first before final application on the anvil. Just be aware that the anvil is required to actually apply the banner pattern or dye color to the armor.
Armor Color Tips
Here are some tips to help you master armor colors in Minecraft:
- Use a loom to create custom banner patterns for unique colors.
- Mix dyes on a crafting table to get special colors before applying to leather.
- Use dye remover to erase color from leather armor.
- Leather horse armor can also be dyed in a crafting table.
- Rename your colored armor pieces for added customization.
Dye and Banner Pattern Examples
Here are some examples of dyes and banner patterns you can use to color armor:
| Dye | Banner Pattern | Armor Color Produced |
|---|---|---|
| White Dye | Field Masoned Banner Pattern | Light gray and white |
| Yellow Dye | Bordure Indented Banner Pattern | Yellow and black |
| Light Blue Dye | Gradient Up Banner Pattern | Light blue fading upwards |
Conclusion
Customizing armor colors in Minecraft is simple once you know the process. For leather, use dyes on a crafting table. For other types, apply banner patterns on an anvil. Mix and match colors for unique looks.
Checking your current armor tint is easy in the inventory tooltip or anvil menu. With dyes, banner patterns and your imagination, you can create stylish armor color combinations to stand out in any Minecraft world!
